7 Habits You Should Have to Slow Down the Aging Process

Aging is a part of life—and with it comes wisdom and experience. Regardless, who wouldn’t want to slow down the clock a little? It turns out that your actions can speed up or slow down many aspects of aging. Take the following steps now to help you age gracefully—inside and out.

1. Diet: Eat an anti-inflammatory diet

A diet high in inflammatory foods accelerates the aging process. An inflammatory diet prematurely shortens telomeres, which contributes to premature aging.1

Foods that reduce inflammation: 2

1. Fresh fruits such as strawberries, blueberries and oranges
2. green leafy vegetables such as spinach and kale
3. oil
4. Fish that contain omega-3 fatty acids, such as mackerel, salmon, and tuna
5. nuts, such as almonds and walnuts

Foods that increase inflammation 3

• 1 Added sugar, particularly high-fructose corn syrup, which is commonly found in beverages, sweets, and desserts
• 2 Trans fats in fried foods, processed snacks, doughnuts, and margarine
• 3 Processed meats, such as mortadella, sausage, bacon, salami and jerky
• 4 Refined carbohydrates, such as white rice, white potatoes, many types of cereals, and breads and cookies made from white flour
• 5 Excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids in mayonnaise, many salad dressings, and vegetable oils such as corn, safflower, and soybean

2. Physical Activity: Move Your Body

“Get moving and exercise!” is a common catchphrase. And for good reason: Too much sitting (sedentary behavior) is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and early death.4

Shorten the session

1. Take a break before sitting down every 30 minutes. Set an alarm to remind yourself to get up or move around.
2. Stand while talking on the phone, occasionally place your laptop on a counter, or periodically stand at your desk
3. Stand and move your body during commercial breaks, intermission, or between shows

Move more

1. Park further away at the office or while running errands
2. Choose stairs over elevators and escalators
3. Vacuum, wash the windows, weed the garden or sweep the sidewalk

Increase your heart rate and use your muscles Aerobic activity is any activity that makes you breathe harder than normal and your heart beat faster.

1. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity each week.5
2. Strength training by lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises improves bone health and reduces the risk of weak, thin bones (osteoporosis) — a significant factor in aging.5,6

3. Alcohol: drink in moderation

A recent study found that long-term heavy drinking (alcoholism or alcohol use disorder) leads to accelerated aging and increases the risk of cognitive problems such as dementia.7 Health risks from heavy drinking also include high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, liver disease, depression, anxiety, cancer, and a weakened immune system.7,8

Limit alcohol intake to two drinks or less per day for men and one drink or less per day for women.

4. Sleep: ZZZs help you stay young

Sleep helps your body recharge and repair itself. Not getting enough sleep doesn’t just mean feeling groggy the next day—it can have serious health consequences. Long-term insufficient sleep is linked to increased risk of depression, obesity, infections, heart disease, and premature death.

Tips for better sleep 10

1. Establish a schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time, even on weekends. This helps your body clock stay on a consistent sleep-wake cycle and promotes restorative sleep.
2. Relax. Use the time before bed to do relaxing activities and prepare for sleep. Avoid strenuous exercise and bright light from TV, computer, and phone screens.
3. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine before bed. They interfere with your ability to fall asleep or get restful sleep.
4. Keep your bedroom quiet, cool, and dark. This creates an ideal environment for good sleep.

5. Sunlight and air pollution: protect your skin

Sunlight contains ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which causes premature aging of the skin (photoaging) and increases the risk of skin cancer.11,12 Although melanoma accounts for only one percent of skin cancers, it causes a large proportion of skin cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 106,000 new cases of melanoma cancer will be diagnosed in 2021.13

Tips for staying safe in the sun

1. 1 Limit your time in the sun. Avoid the sun during its peak hours from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
2. 2 Use a broad spectrum sunscreen every day.
3. Choose a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher.
4. Reapply frequently. Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours after sweating or swimming.
5. Don’t skip sun protection on cloudy days. UV rays can pass through clouds, and UV exposure occurs year-round—even on cloudy days and during the winter.14
6. Blue light from cell phones, television, and computer screens can also damage skin cells and contribute to photoaging. To block blue light, look for a sunscreen that contains a blend of iron oxides, zinc oxide, or titanium oxide.15

Tips to protect your skin from air pollution

Indoor and outdoor air pollution also affects how quickly your skin ages. Tiny particles from soot and traffic pollution (particulate matter) and gaseous compounds such as nitrous oxide float in the air and cause hyperpigmentation of the skin. Cooking or burning unclean fuel increases skin wrinkles on the face and back of the hands.16

Some antioxidants help protect the skin and reduce damage from environmental pollution. Nutrients such as vitamins C and E can help: 16-18

1. faded hyperpigmentation spots
2. Increase collagen
3. Reduce wrinkles
4. Protect your skin from future damage from air pollution
5. To learn how to help your skin age, read: How Sunlight and Pollution Cause Skin Aging. (And What You Can Do About It.)

6. Stress: Relax for Better Health

Stress is a part of life. But long-term, constant stress can contribute to serious health problems that can lead to premature death. Conditions related to chronic stress include heart attack, stroke, diabetes, depression, immune disorders, migraines and heartburn, nausea, and many other intestinal problems.19,20

Tips for managing stress

1. Meditate. Meditation is extremely effective for managing stress.21 Regular meditation increases the area of ​​the brain that regulates emotions.21,22 Individuals who sit quietly in meditation for just one hour a week report feeling more content and joyful.22
2. Be social. An active social life is associated with faster recovery from stress.23 It’s also linked to a longer life and a greater sense of well-being.24,25 Focus on the people or activities that mean the most to you—family and friends, hobby or religious groups, or other organizations.
3. Move your body. Exercise can flush stress chemicals out of your body.26 Just one exercise session that increases your heart rate has been shown to lower blood pressure, improve sleep, and reduce anxiety on the day you do it.26,27
4. Develop gratitude. People who practice gratitude tend to have fewer symptoms of depression and more positive feelings overall.28 Researchers have studied highly stressed healthcare workers who implemented gratitude-building measures. After 12 weeks, the workers reported that they were happier and more satisfied with their lives.29 Keep a gratitude journal and write down the things you are grateful for each day. This can help you develop gratitude and make positive thinking more natural.23

7. Smoking: quit or don't start

If you smoke, you’re probably aware that quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health. After all, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with smokers dying an average of 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.30

But quitting is a challenge, and most smokers try several times before they succeed. This sample of tried-and-true strategies can help you kick the habit.31

1. Write down your reasons for quitting. Make a list of the reasons you want to quit smoking and refer to it often or add to it.
2. Make a plan. Many smokers kick the habit by setting a quit date and then stopping abruptly on that date. If quitting abruptly hasn't worked for you, try cutting back gradually. Evidence shows that using the prescription drug varenicline and following a strict tapering schedule can improve quitting.
3. Control cravings. Consider nicotine replacement therapy and talk to your doctor about treatments that can reduce cravings, including lozenges, gum, skin patches, inhalers, or nasal sprays.
4. Avoid triggers. Avoid places and situations that make you want to smoke.
5. Find a counseling service. Individual or group counseling can help you develop skills to quit smoking. Combining counseling and medication is the most effective way to quit smoking.

The lifestyle advice you’ve heard time and time again has a myriad of health benefits. From getting enough physical activity to limiting alcohol and stress, these habits reduce your risk of chronic disease and slow the aging process—helping you look and feel your best for years to come.

References

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2 Dos and Don’ts of the Anti-Inflammatory Diet. Arthritis Foundation. https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/nutrition/anti-inflammatory/anti-inflammatory-diet. [Accessed July 18, 2021.]

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